A Walk in the Woods

The sign said “NO NOT ENTER SHERWOOD FOREST”. Brent wasn’t the kind of guy to follow orders, instructions or the law. The hell with what the sign said. Brent adjusted his backpack and started his journey into the forbidden woods.

His plan was to spend a three-day weekend camping deep in the wilderness. Game wardens refuse to enter the forest so Brent knew once he was in the woods he was safe from detection. The first day and night were awesome. The landscape was surreal and beautiful, yet, somehow different, disturbing.

Brent is an experienced hiker. He had traveled many times into deep wilderness. Somehow this hike was different, the air filled with static. And the intermittent sounds. Strange, eerie sounds came out of nowhere without warning and came from all directions. Brent had to admit he was getting the heebee-jeebies.

The second night set Brent on edge. Sounds came all night long. Strange glowing green lights danced like a drunken aurora in the sky. In the morning Brent’s supplies were missing. Without provisions Brent needed to return to the real world as fast as possible. Bad weather would be a real disaster. Tired and exhausted, Brent had to use instinct to find safety. But the woods confused Brent. Evening came sooner than expected.

Brent found a depression in the terrain to bed down for the night. Hunger disrupted his sleep. The starless, moonless night was the deepest dark Brent ever experienced. Brent lost it when the sounds started again. The sounds hypnotized Brent until he fell unconscious. The next day game wardens found a woman walking out of the woods. She said her name was Temperance, but couldn’t give any details on her life. Unharmed, the game wardens had no choice but to let Temperance go on her way.